Is Sea Water Desalination the Solution for the World’s Water Problems? (Introduction)

Resources Needed:

1. Link to the “Water We Doing?” podcast, Is Sea Water Desalination the Solution for the the World’s Water Problems? by The Aquatic Biosphere Project  Season 1, Episode 3
2. Printable discussion questions / writing prompts (see attachment at bottom of lesson).

Introduction:

1. Write ‘water stress’ on the board. Ask students, What do you think of when you hear the words water stress? Discuss in small groups then share as a class.
2. Show where Cape Town is on a map. Tell the class that, Cape Town is severely water stressed. Does this surprise you? Why or why not?
3. Ask students: 

• If an area is water stressed, what immediate measures could be taken to alleviate the problem? 
• What do you know about desalination? Can you think of any negative impacts?

Lesson:

1. Listen to the podcast, Is Sea Water Desalination the Solution for the the World’s Water Problems?
2. Revisit the discussions from the lesson introduction and ask students about their reactions, what surprised them, what did they learn?

Follow Up Activities:

1. Have students work with a partner, or individually, to come up with their own definition of ‘water stress’ and possible ways to educate their peers on what this means and what we can all begin doing to help.
2. Have students do further research on desalination, the pros and cons, the costs, the impacts, etc.